Filler-block for street-railways.



W. SHEPHERD.

FILLER BLOCK FOR STREET RAILWAYS. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 24. 1915.

1 182.,045. Patented May 9, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

W. SHEPHERD.

FILLER BLOCK FOR STREET RAILWAYS.

APPLLCATION HLFD MAR. 24. 1915- Q 1,12,045. Patented May 9,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 JIIIIIIIVIII. v u

THE COLUMBIA PLANDURAPH 00-, WASHINGTON, n C.

WILLIAM SHEPHERD, OF ROCHD-ALE, ENGLAND.

- FILLEBFBLOCK FDR STREET-RAILWAYS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9, 1916.

Application fi1ed March 24, 1915. Serial No. 16,726.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM SH PHERD, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Sparthcliffe, Manchester Road Rochdale in the county of Lancaster, England,contractor, have invented new and useful Improvements in Filler-Blocks for Street-Railways, of which the following is a specification. I r

In electric and other tramway systemsit is now general to use a very heavy tramway rail of I or like section which presents a very considerable continuous cavity on each side of the rail as is well known. When making good the road-way to such sections of rail, by laying granite sets to such rails, a somewhat difiicult problem presents itself by reason of such continuous cavities. common practice is to endeavor to plaster up such continuous cavities with a mixture of tar and chippings, or, to fill up with some mixture containing cement and prepared on the spot. This making up of such cavities is known technically as parging. Such make shift methods of filling-in, are not however simple for workpeople to do and the job is apt to be scamped, and, even when properly done, the pitch melts under heat or the cement breaks under heavy vibration. The result is, that such plaster masses crumble and fall away, or, are washed out of place, thus leaving the cavities unprotected, so that, sets which have settled down some what, or sunk, heel-over and get below the flanges on the rail. Whenever suchheeling over or falling away of sets occurs, then considerable portions of the, upper parts of the rails are left exposed and become really dangerous projections, in particular dangerous to the wheels of vehicles, or to pedestrians, and so sets in the immediate vicinity of tramway rails need constant and expensive attention. I

Now my invention consists in the application of continuous longitudinal lines of blocks or fillers which are solely applied to fill the cavities on each side of the rail and to lie entirely, flush with the edges of the upper flange of the rail. I do not seek to isolate the rail at all, but, to apply absolutely flush continuous blocks to give a vertical wall up to the edge of the upper flange of the rail andto which the ordinary granite sets can be laid rightup to the rail and with the certainty of the line of granite sets maintaining their position and so that I can nally on each edge of the rail are the best held in the width of the sets.

I use a continuous line of abutting blocks which are so molded or shaped as to fit exactlv flush with the edge of the upper flange of the rail and to occupy no more than the existing cavity on each side of the rail.

The attached drawings illustrate my invention and the application of the ready made blocks, sect-ions,or the like, in connection with a tramway rail.

In such drawings: Figure 1 is a section showing one form of ready made block, section, or the like, in position filling-up exactly flush the continuous cavities. Fig. 2

shows a side elevation. Fig. 3 is a plan view, and Fig. 4 shows how the ready made blocks or sections can be made lighter and be provided with binding channels. Fig. 5 shows a block with inclined apertures down which pitch may pass to better bind the block in place.

I cut, mold or otherwise produce, complete blocks, sections, tiles, or such like a, and these may be of stone, slag,'wood, fire or other clay, earthenware, stone-ware, or of other material or substance, and are of a depth and thickness to nicely occupy and fill up flush the continuous cavities between the upper and lower flanges a a of the rail.

The ready made blocks or sections are of suitable length, say about 9 inches, but this may be greatly varied. Such ready made blocks, or sections, abut end to end along the continuous cavities and may be bedded on the bottom flanges on a thin layer of cement or pitch, but, more generally are simply laid in place but so as to produce a more or less truly vertical wall and a wall flush with the edges of the upper flange asv is obvious. This done. the sets 7) are laid upon the cinder or sand bedding c, over the concrete (Z, and right up to such truly vertical walls and so come against the solid abutment due to the presence of the ready made blocks, or sections, which cannot give way or escape, and so no set can heel over and get into the continuous cavity and produce a dangerous place in the road, the sets all along the lines standing squarely and truly up to the rails.

In order that the ready made blocks or sections in a line may exercise a holding effect one on another when in situ I may bevel or incline or shape the vertical meet ing edges, as I indicatein the lower part of Fig. '3. To lighten the ready made blocks or sections I may mold or produce the same with passageways, channels, or even holes. Likewise, I might have channels or grooves formed in the blocks or sections, into which pitch or cement could pass to produce a better joint along the meeting wall of the sets with the ready made blocks or sections or between the ready made blocks or sections and rail. Also, the vertical meeting edges of the ready made blocks or sections might 2e channeled or grooved so that the running down of pitch, or such like in finishing ofi the road, would interlock a line of the applied ready made blocks or sections. These several detail features are shown by Fig.4. IniFig. 5 Iindicate the use of holes or channels disposed at an angle in the block or sections a. V

I declare that what I olaimis:

1. A block adapted to fit between the tread and base flanges of a track rail at one side of the rail. web and having its outer side face parallel with the opposite side face and adapted to lie flush with the cone sponding side face of the rail tread, and means provided at each end of the block by which it may be interlocked with the adjacent end of a co-acting block.

2. A block adapted to fit between the tread and base flanges of a track rail at one side of the rail web and having its outer side face parallel with the opposite side face and adapted to lie flush with the corresponding side face of the rail tread, the

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each,

Washington, G.

side face of the rail tread, the provided with a transverse pouring openblock being beveled transversely substantially as and for the purpose described.

1-. A block adapted to fit between the I tread and base flanges of a track rail at one side of the rail web and having its outer side face parallel with the opposite face and adapted to lie flush with the corresponding side face of the rail tread, the ends of the block being oppositely beveled transversely, substantially as and for the purpose described. V

5. A block adapted to fit between the tread and base flanges of a track rail at one v 7 side of the rail web and having its outer side face parallel with the opposite side face and adapted to lie flush with the corresponding side face of the rail tread, the block being provided with a transverse pouring opening.

6. A block adapted to fit between the tread and base flanges of a track rail at one side of the rail web andhaving its outer side face parallel with the opposite side face and adapted tolieflush with the corresponding block being ing which is inclined downwardly toward the inner face of the block.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification 1n the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM SHEPHERD.

lVitnesses v Rronann Wnnsrnn Inennson, ALFRED STUART YATES.

by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, 

